Rangers’ Skinner named Boston Pizza OHL Player of the Week

By League Press Release

February 18th, 2009

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that rookie forward Jeff Skinner of the Kitchener Rangers is the Boston Pizza OHL Player of the Week for the week ending February 15. Skinner scored five goals and three assists for eight points in four games with a plus-minus rating of plus-7.

Skinner and the Rangers began play on Tuesday at home to the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors. He scored the first two goals for the Rangers who made a late comeback to force overtime before falling to the Majors 5-4. Skinner was named first star of the game. His best game of the week came on Friday night when he would repeat as first star of the game on home ice, this time scoring two goals and adding an assist in the 6-2 win over the Saginaw Spirit. He recorded an assist on Saturday in a 7-4 loss to the Sarnia Sting before finishing the week by scoring a third period goal to tie the game plus one assist Sunday night despite a 3-2 overtime loss to the London Knights.

Skinner, a 16-year-old rookie from Markham, ON has registered a point in eight straight games for the Rangers and leads the OHL in goals scored this month with 11 through seven games. He currently ranks 10th in rookie scoring with 22 goals and 19 assists for 41 points in 51 games. Skinner was a first round selection by the Rangers at the 2008 OHL Priority Selection.Logan Couture of the Ottawa 67’s was also considered for the award this week after scoring two goals and five assists for seven points in three games. On Sunday he scored two goals and one assist plus the shootout winner as first star in the 5-4 win over the Owen Sound Attack. Josh Brittain of the Barrie Colts scored five goals and an assist for six points in three games highlighted by a hat-trick on Thursday night to lift the Colts past the Attack 3-2 in overtime as first star of the game. Jeremy Smith of the Niagara IceDogs led the way between the pipes with two wins posting a goals-against-average of 1.30 and a league-best save percentage of .967. Smith made 119 saves in three games.